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Dirk caught Stormee as she melted into him. He wrapped his arms around her trembling form and cursed his libido. What was he doing? This woman-child was as innocent and untutored as they came. Virginal, self-conscious women were not his type. So, why did this one jump-start his heart every time she looked at him with her guileless eyes? At twenty-three, she was eight years younger, and if he counted experience and hard-living, a lifetime separated them.

He gripped her shoulders and gently pushed apart their bodies. She wasn't shaking, but the hypnotic glaze in her eyes spoke volumes. With a slow caress, he slid one hand from her shoulder to cup her neck. "Stormee, I apologize. I was out of line. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

She yanked herself free of his touch and shot him an accusing glare. The more she flashed those lustrous eyes, the more he wanted to complete the kind of evening he'd originally planned. A streak of reality cleared the thought from his head. Still, like a persistent rash, she dominated his focus, and he didn't like the itch.

"Mr. Savage, we just need to get this interview over with! Then we can both put this unfortunate episode behind us."

He watched the rapid rise and fall of her chest. If she didn't calm down and take some deep breaths, he'd have an unconscious woman on his hands. She reminded him of a frazzled kitten, one who thought itself a dragon capable of annihilating its foe with a scorching puff of wind. He stroked his finger along the bridge of her autocratic nose.

"Don't pout, the attitude doesn't suit you," he said with a conciliatory grin. Then, stepping back, he gave her ample room to move around him. He'd supply the interview she wanted and return her home untouched. And first thing tomorrow, he'd have his head examined.

****

Stormee awarded herself a badge of courage, if only in her mind, and finished writing the last note of her interview. Dinner and the ensuing conversation, though awkward, filled her notebook with information, experiences, and resources. Now, if she could manage to thank him in a gracious way and make her exit, she'd file this experience under SITUATIONS TO AVOID.

"I appreciate you answering my questions. Additional interview sessions won't be necessary as I have all the information I need. Not to trouble you further, I'll call a taxi to take me home." Stormee nodded in a queenly gesture of dismissal and tucked her arms into her sweater.

"Do you think I'm that easily sent on my way?" He placed his wine glass beside his plate and shoved his chair a few inches away from the table.

Stormee wasn't sure how, but she'd struck a nerve. He was more than a little annoyed.

"I'm not in the habit of inviting a woman to dinner and then leaving her to find her own way home. So, don't even think of calling a taxi." He leaned forward, his eyes cold. "Now, do something with your purse."

Startled, Stormee looked at the small clutch inching a path to the table's edge. "I set my phone on vibrate. I don't know why I didn't hear it?" After snapping the purse open, she removed her phone. The caller ID was not one she recognized. "I'll step into the lobby to take this." She managed to reach the entrance before the person on the other end terminated the call.

"Hello?"

"Stormee Waters, please."

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"Miss Waters, this is Nurse Abbot at The Serenity Assisted Living Complex."

Stormee's stomach clenched as she asked the first question to jump onto her tongue. "Is my grandmother okay?"

"Mrs. Langley was transported to the hospital twenty minutes ago. We're not sure what happened, but she's sustained a head injury. I've texted you the name and address of the hospital. Can you make arrangements to come as soon as possible?"

"Of course. Are there any further details you can relate?" She pressed her fist against her chest.

"Well." The woman's voice lowered. "There were some odd circumstances prior to your grandmother's accident. We can discuss those after you've seen Mrs. Langley. Let me know your arrival time and I'll meet you at the hospital."

"What kind of situation?" Stormee squeezed the phone between her fingers.

"I'd rather not discuss this over the phone. However, we think your grandmother may be in further danger. You need to come as soon as possible."

Danger? The cell phone slipped from Stormee's hand and bounced once on the carpeted floor.

Dirk appeared at her side, retrieved the phone, and then pushed her toward a nearby chair, shoving her into it none too gently. Without hesitation, he intercepted her personal call. "This is Dirk Savage, a friend of Miss Waters. She's visibly shaken. Tell me what I should know so I can assist her."

Stormee reached toward him in an imperious gesture, which he ignored. Her attempt to stand met with a heavy hand on her shoulder, one tolerating no rebellion against his insistence she stay seated.

"Yes. I understand. I'll take care of everything. Miss Waters will arrive tomorrow. My assistant, James Bowden, will be at the hospital within six hours and will act on behalf of Mrs. Langley's personal security. He has the ability to reach me at any time."

Her palm itched to slap his arrogant jaw. But hitting the most unpredictable man she'd ever met, even in a public restaurant, couldn't be a smart move. She snatched her phone from his hand. "You're past being impossible! Who do you think you are—my father?" She shook with indignation.

The bit about their age difference came out of nowhere. The tightening of his concrete jaw confirmed she'd hit the retaliation jackpot. She didn't bother to hide the smugness in her expression or the satisfaction she received when his complexion darkened with indignation.

"If I were your father, Miss Waters, Id march you out to the car and tan your pretty little backside for not knowing what's good for you."

"Take me home," she hissed through tight lips. Executing a dismissive turn, she stalked toward the exit.

Dirk stepped in stride beside her and placed his hand in the middle of her back. "Exactly what I'd suggest since you have preparations to finish. A car will pick you up at five A.M. and get you to the airport in time to make a six A.M. flight."

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "I can't make a reservation that fast. I'm sure the earliest will be tomorrow afternoon or evening."

"I have a private plane. I can get you to Chicago quicker than a commercial flight." He gripped her upper arm and urged her toward the exit.

Stormee balked and rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you have a space shuttle. You're not taking me to Chicago."

Dirk tilted his head and raised one eyebrow.

For a half-second, he reminded her of her high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Clark, whose censorious expressions were as lethal as the volatile chemicals she often mixed by mistake.

"I assumed your first concern would be for your grandmother. On the other hand, if you wish to linger and perhaps arrive too late..."

"What?" Her eyes misted as anger fled in the face of a new emotion. Does he mean Nana could die?

"Look, Stormee. My only objective is to help you get to your grandmother. If doing so makes you more comfortable, I'll promise not to touch you in any way you might deem unsuitable. I think that takes care of the only viable objection you may have?" He released his grip on her arm and crossed his in front of his chest, taking a waiting stance.

Her mind reeled with protest while her heart waged a counterattack. She couldn't label him as completely unfamiliar, strange maybe—but not a stranger. Didn't she hold a notebook with at least five pages of facts concerning Houston's elusive bachelor? If he kept his distance, how dangerous could he be? A second look at his one-sided smile suggested an answer that gave her the jitters.

She shoved her phone back into the clutch and gave Dirk an eye-to-eye power glare of the type she used on Josh. "I expect you to keep your word, Mr. Savage. I am not as helpless as you may think. One wrong move and you'll not be fond of the consequences. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Before answering, he took a long moment to study her.

The head-to-toe glance that accompanied his silence made her mind a crazy mixture of excitement and foreboding.

Nodding, he leaned in her direction. "Stormee, where you're concerned, my boundaries are clearly charted."

Baffled, she scrunched her forehead. Did he mean to make her loony with his ambiguous replies? 

_______________________________________________________________

NOTICE to Readers: 

Sad to say but it takes more than stars to support someone who needs to make an income from their writing. For that reason, I'm moving this book to a commercial distributor so that I can be paid for my work. I'm leaving the first 4 chapters here on Wattpad so that those who think they might like my story well enough to purchase it for $2.99 will be able to get a feel for the story before they decide to buy. 

The book has a new name (Dare She Stay) and a new cover. The digital buy link is: https://books2read.com/u/mdDBpd ($2.99)